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“I have no doubt you’ll achieve your goals, Theresa. In fact, I have no doubt you could achieve anything you set your mind to.”
“Well, you’d be the first to think so.” She huffed out a laugh.
Caleb’s heart turned over, and he really, really wanted to plant his fist in the faces of all those who had caused this amazing woman to doubt herself. “I won’t be the last though. You can count on that.” And he really, really wanted to be there to watch her soar.
Chapter Six
Theresa stood in front of the animal shelter where she’d adopted Sully. Shielding her eyes from the bright morning sunshine, she surveyed the parking lot. The area had been cordoned off, and a small crowd had gathered to watch as she did the interview and photo session her publicist had arranged for her with Woman’s Day magazine.
“So, why a shelter dog? Why not a particular breed from a reputable breeder?” the interviewer asked after several questions about Theresa’s life, how things were going with their new puppy, her upcoming tour, and about her family. Thankfully, he’d only included a few general questions about her divorce. Like, did she believe having a puppy would help her children adjust to the changes in their lives? She hoped so. Sully had certainly brightened her outlook.
“Honestly, it never occurred to me to buy a particular kind of dog from a breeder,” Theresa told the journalist interviewing her. “There are so many dogs and cats in rescue shelters needing homes that it made more sense to adopt. My children don’t really know anything about pedigrees and neither do I. I didn’t want a show dog or a dog I intended to breed. We just wanted a healthy puppy, a family pet.” She glanced at Sully as he chewed on his leash. “This little guy has so much personality, and he’s great with my boys.”
Theresa leaned down and scratched Sully behind the ears. He immediately flopped down and rolled to his back so she’d scratch his belly. Chad, the journalist interviewing her chuckled, eliciting a tail wag from Sully, who happened to be behaving perfectly for the moment. The early morning walk before the interview had helped.
“Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with us, Theresa,” Chad said. “We’d like to get a few more pictures of you and Sully in front of the shelter, and we’ll be finished.”
“Sure. I hope this piece will lead to a boost in donations for no-kill animal shelters everywhere,” Theresa said, moving to stand where the name of the shelter would be seen. Sully posed like a little canine pro, his ears up and his eyes alert. The magazine’s photographer snapped rapidly, moving around to get different angles. No butt shots, please! She hated pictures of herself, but at least she had the satisfaction of knowing this was for a good cause.
“Thanks so much,” Theresa said as everything wrapped up. She glanced at the shelter’s volunteers, wondering if one of them had taken the pictures of her and her boys that had gone viral the day she’d adopted Sully. It could have been anybody, including one of the newshounds always on her trail. A family adopting a dog shouldn’t be a big deal, and nobody should take pictures of other people’s children or post them anywhere without permission.
“Theresa, can I get your autograph?” someone from the crowd of spectators called out.
That set off a chorus of requests. She smiled and waved before turning to John. “I know this is a bodyguard’s nightmare, but I’m going to have to do this. Otherwise, it’ll be all over social media in a minute that I’m stuck-up bitch … or worse,” she whispered.
“I know.” He came to her side, took Sully’s leash, and walked with her to the group of fans.
Theresa pasted a smile on her face and fished a fine-point permanent marker from her purse. She never went anywhere without a few markers tucked away. For the next half hour, she signed a variety of objects and chatted with everyone who stayed for an autograph. Phones were up, and fans were taking videos and pictures. She did her best to appear like she loved every minute spent with total strangers. She didn’t. In fact, it still baffled her that anyone would want anything signed by her just because she sang for a living.
Once she’d finished signing autographs, Theresa settled behind the wheel of her SUV with Sully in the cargo area. “Nice crowd. Well, that wasn’t too bad,” she said as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. Sully made a squeaky bark noise from his place in the back as if he agreed, and John grunted.
The drive went by quietly, and once again the idea of finding her mother slipped into her thoughts. Ever since that first therapy session, her mother had been on her mind a lot. It might be true that her dad had prevented any contact when she was a kid, but she was an adult with children of her own now. Nothing should’ve prevented her mom from reaching out to her once Theresa had turned eighteen. Why hadn’t she?
She hit the opener and pulled into the garage. “I know two little boys who are going to be thrilled to see you, Sully,” she said as she helped their growing puppy out of her SUV and led him inside.
“Sully!” Jeremy shouted as he ran down the hall, followed by Charlie and Elli.
“Take him outside, please,” she said unfastening his leash. “He probably needs to go.” Theresa dropped her purse on the island and fished out her phone. “I’ll join you in a few minutes. I need to make a call and change first.”
Everyone, including John, went outside, and Theresa headed to her room for her recently unearthed birth certificate. Her mother’s maiden name and the place and date of her birth were on the certificate. Those three facts were all she had to go on. Sitting on the end of her bed, Theresa brought up the investigator’s number who’d followed David around. She took a deep breath and hit call.
“Fisk Investigative Services, Shelly Fisk speaking.”
“Hi, Shelly. It’s Theresa Rhodes. I’m calling to see if you’d be interested in helping me find my mother.” Gulp. Was she really doing this? Yes, and it was about damn time.
“When did she go missing? Have you filed a report with the police?”
“She went missing twenty-two years ago when I was six years old. That’s when my parents divorced.” She bit her lip. “I never saw or heard from her after that. I just want to know if she’s still alive, and if so, where she is.”
“I see. Sure, I can look into that for you. The search won’t be nearly as expensive as what it costs to find out what a spouse is up to.” Shelly grunted. “So, what information can you give me about her?”
“Are you ready to take this down?”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Theresa gave the investigator her mother’s date of birth. “Vanessa Louise Allard was born in Brewster, Washington. That’s all I have to go by. Of course, you’ll have to look for Vanessa Louise Rhodes, which is her married name. I don’t know if she went back to her maiden name after the divorce or kept Rhodes.”
“Okay. What about extended family? Do you have any grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins on your mother’s side?”
